


Louder Than Thunder

by plantlet



Category: BTOB, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 우리 결혼했어요 | We Got Married
Genre: F/M, Little Mermaid AU, MAJOR MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, hints at depression, please read authors note before reading!, suicide esque death, too much back story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 08:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5999629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plantlet/pseuds/plantlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one rule that everyone follows is simple: Don't stay out at sea past sunset.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Louder Than Thunder

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Little Sea-Maid](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/176080) by Hans Christian Anderson. 



> Please, please read this before you continue the story.
> 
> I wrote this for an english project that was essentially a retelling of the sea maiden by hans christen anderson hence the sad ending and some of the little gems i left in the fic. I wrote it a couple of weeks ago and there is very little editing and i only threw in a little bit of actual development because of my time to write the actual story.
> 
> now to what the story contains.
> 
> this is very sad i dont know how to get that across except by being explicit. there is a death that can be considered suicide and there are mentions of depression. please proceed with extreme caution if any of this could possibly be triggering. when writing this i had the same feelings as when
> 
> also all the characters that are sungjae's family are made up, they were simply used to fill a plot in my own head.
> 
> for any questions you can comment here or reach me at:  
> tumblr @ oceanbust.tumblr.com  
> twitter @ femmesuga

The depths of the ocean where the light didn't reach, where the water was cold enough to freeze a man’s fingers off in minutes was where the people of the sea lived. Whispered stories of the sea people filtered into young children’s ears, warning them of the dangers that came when you swam at night.

Old wive’s tales was what the men of the small fishing town said, often times waiting until the sun was just setting before coming to harbor and unloading their catches of the day. But, threaten as they will, not a single boat was still out at sea once the sun had completely set and a deep purple filled the sky.

Sungjae had heard the stories of the sea people from an early age in his life, the stories of their beautiful voices and ethereal looks dragging men and women alike to their deaths in the sea if they were still on the water when the sun was gone.

He was always so enraptured in the stories, never giving much thought to the dangers of the people, only captured by the enchanting stories of the people.    
Living in the fishing town was hard work, his alarm waking him up before dawn to get his small boat ready for the long day on the waters, casting line after line to make a living. Dreams of leaving his childhood home were far behind him, buried in the grave with his dead mother and senile father. 

And so he did what he could, giving up his scholarship to a well-renowned university and picking up a job at the local supermarket on the weekends matched with fishing during the weekdays, selling whatever he could to the supermarket. Anything to get money for his father and himself to survive.

The sun was just starting to set when Sungjae began to pull in his fishing nets and clean up the fishing line and bait. He bit a groan of frustration back when he eyed how little he caught that day. Recently the fish hadn’t been biting and while Sungjae was still financially okay, he didn’t want to be under pressure later on in the month when money was running short. 

With the final, small, fish packed away in the ice cooler Sungjae pulled up his anchor and moved to the engine. The sun was halfway set, the light reflecting off the sea in hues of red, orange, pink and yellow when the brunet actually started returning to shore, boat buzzing through the water.

Docking along the pier that led to his house, Sungjae quickly hopped off the boat, gathering his supplies before walking along the rickety wood to his home. A prickly feeling went down his back and the hair on his neck stood on end. Someone was watching him.

Sugjae flew around, twisting to look for the culprit among the brush and sand. A light giggle, almost too quiet to be heard, sounded behind Sungjae and the boy went frozen. Eyes wide, he turned to look at the ocean, where no one would dare swim in at this time of the night unless they wanted to die. 

Temporarily blinded by the sun reflecting off the water, Sungjae could only witness a large splash in the water about fifty meters out. Staring at that spot for what felt like eternity, Sungjae could only shake himself out of his trance when a loud crash was heard from his home.  
Impossible, he thought, no one would go swimming right now. It was simply a trick of the wind. At least he hoped. It was said that the only reason why someone would hear the sea people was if a death was approaching soon.

Making his way up the steep path to his house, Sungjae’s mind drifted to the stories of the sea people, of the horrors they commit to humans and their beauty. It was always their beauty that was the culprit. That brought men and women alike to their deaths.

The stories were always the same. A boat wouldn’t make it to harbor by the time the sun was completely set, the final rays flickering past the horizon, and the person- it was always a singular sailor stuck, never more than one- would be struggling against a current that was pulling almost unnaturally against them, tiring the person out.

A hand would reach out of the water, glistening in the soft moonlight, and grab onto the side of the boat. Delicately, the body attached to the hand would emerge, and a sea person of unspeakable beauty would gaze at the tired sailor, speaking in rippling tones to enrapture the sailor.

In a dazed-like state, the sailor would push forward, slowly, the beauty’s voice hypnotizing them into a trance. Reaching for the sea person, the sailor would be unaware of the dozens of eyes and hands right beneath the surface. Ready to drag the sailor down, down, down.

The deep abyss of the sea person’s eyes the last thing any sailor would see, the echoing and dripping voice the last thing they would hear, before the sea took their life.

Sungjae opened up the door to his home, grunting at the slight resistance of the hinges, before diligently putting his fishing gear and catches of the day in their respective spots in the kitchen. The smell of the sea was strong in his house, Sungjae wrinkling his nose. It was unusual for the salt to be this prominent.

“Dad,” he called out, flicking on the light of the hallway and making his way down the pale walled walk way to his father’s room. Knocking lightly at the blue colored door, the brunette waited for the telltale signs of shuffling feet, or even the rocking of a chair.  
 Absolute silence.

He knocked at the door again, this time louder, “Dad, are you awake?”

No answer. 

Sungjae grappled with the door knob, opening the door with haste. He was met with darkness and the soft glow of the digital clock on his fathers bedside table.

His eyes widened slightly when a light breeze made the his hair brush against his forehead. Turning, Sungjae’s eyes wider in horror when he saw the previously locked french-door leading to the beach wide open.

Sungjae bolted, running as fast as his tired legs would allow, lungs burning. He followed the vague impressions of feet in the sand to the private dock on their beach. The trail of sand ended at the edge of the wooden dock, leading only to the midnight blue waters.

He let out a shuddering breath, eyes filling with tears. The brunet called out for his father, called for him until his voice went hoarse with use and his eyes seared with exhaustion. He screamed. Yelled at the ocean, at the sea people, to bring his father back. To bring back his mother they took from him years ago. 

To not let any of this be true.

Sungjae collapsed on the pier, the wood squeaking at the sudden movement. He leaned against a pillar and sobbed until he could only hiccup and only when the sky took on a light pink hue did he get up and return to his home.

The next week he refused to go to his boat, to even stick his feet into the cold water. Soon after the week had passed, he received a call from the market, his boss asking about his disappearance. Sungjae simply mumbled an unintelligible reply before ending the call, returning to his room to stare at the ocean.

A month passed and the electricity soon cut out. Then the water. And finally Sungjae left his room to grab his fishing gear and head to the public boat docks. When he passed by the people milling around the dock he could hear the whispers, feel the stares. A town this small would notice the month long absence of a once steady fixture.

He hopped into his boat and untied from the dock. Sungjae sped off, far off shore to fish, as he always did. But this time, he didn’t pack up as quickly when the sun began to set. Each day he left, he would return later, just barely making it to the dock before the last rays winked away.

Sungjae didn’t seem to notice his days getting longer, only mechanically fishing over and over again before pulling up his nets and heading home.

It was to be a full moon that night. Sungjae had heard that from the nice woman he bought a coffee from that morning. Now, with the sun just reaching the end of the sky, touching the horizon, Sungjae wouldn’t mind seeing the reflection of the moon on the expanse of the ocean, no land or house obstructing his view.

Sungjae settled into his boat, the slight breeze making him grab for the blanket he kept stored for times specifically like this. He watched the crawl of the sun pass the horizon, the yellow and reds fading into purples and blues and suddenly, the sun was gone. Only the wide black sky and the bright glow of the moon his company.

Shutting his eyes, Sungjae listened to the rocking of the boat on the waves, the shifting pulling him into a peaceful sleep.

A hum woke him up. Blinking his eyes open, Sungjae focused on the source of the noise, eyes moving up to rest on a figure hanging off the edge of his boat.

The figure’s head was resting against it’s arms, which were crossed along the edge. Apparently Sungjae made a noise with his movement because the humming stopped and the figure picked it’s head up, eyes opening.

Sungjae’s mouth went dry. The moon lit up the figures face enough for him to see the bronzed skin, lightly blushed cheeks and apple red lips. The large eyes blinked at him, slow and heavy, with an almost child-like curiosity.

The brunet licked his lips and cleared his throat, caught by the figure’s beauty. So this was a sea person.

“Hello,” a melodious voice said. Sungjae jolted, not expecting such a harmonious sound to come from the person before him, “What are you doing out here so late at night?”

“Looking at the moon,” Sungjae stuttered out, eyes not leaving the figure’s eyes, captured by the way the moonlight reflected off the brown irises. The figure’s eyebrows scrunched up, a look of confusion on their face.

“Why,” they asked, “You can easily see the moon from the shore. Why here in the middle of the sea?”

“Because I wanted to see the reflection off the water. It’s quite beautiful,” Sungjae responded, gaining confidence the longer he spoke to the person.

The figure hummed in agreement, “What is your name? I’m Joy.”

Sungjae hesitated, the boat rocking a few times before answering “Sungjae”.

“Sungjae, can I sing for you?” Joy asked, eyes crinkled with a smile and glittering from the moonlight. Sungjae nodded and folded his hands in his lap, waiting patiently for the black-haired beauty to begin singing. 

When Joy started singing, Sungjae’s breath caught in his throat, and his eyes began welling with tears. He doesn’t know how long he sat there listening to her sing, but it could have been hours, yet the moon was still high in the sky. He wiped tears from his cheeks.

At that action, the singing stopped.

“Sungjae, why are you crying? You should be happy to hear me sing,” Joy said quietly, a hint of upset ringing in the tone of her voice.

“I miss my family,” he responded, “They were taken. By the sea.”

He saw Joy let out a deep breath, chest heaving at the movement. Joy looked at Sungjae with a deep sadness in her eyes.

“The sea is a very temperamental being. She takes and takes and gives and gives, but never the things we want. We call her Song Minhyunk. She is the entity that is the sea, she steals the ones we love without thought to those alive and their feelings,” Joy took a shuddering breath, “ She makes us steal for her, take away loved ones from their families. And we resent that, but what can you do against the thing that created and houses you?”

Sungjae looks at Joy with bewilderment, “What do you mean?”

“We take away people left at sea to have a better life. We don’t take everyone, only those troubled at heart,” Joy looked away, a melancholic expression on her face, “Those who no longer have the will to live, if you could say.”

Sungjae stills.

Oh. He took a gulp of fresh sea air, the salt sticking to the back of his throat. He could feel the burning sensation right behind his eyes of tears threatening to fall and the sudden constriction of his chest. Sheer force of will held back the imminent tears from falling.

Joy pulls herself farther up the edge of the boat, so she can perch herself on the edge. Sungjae saw the gleaming scales of her tail disappear into the water. Joy looks away from Sungjae to the moon.

“It truly is beautiful, I can see why chose to see the moon from on the ocean.” Sungjae hummed back a response.

“Sungjae,” a pause, “Would you like to see your family?”

Joy’s voice was tight, Sungjae could hear that in the way her words were strained.

“Yes please.” Sungjae swallowed, blinking back his tears.

He saw Joy close her eyes and a gleam fall down her cheek. She turned her head toward him and opened his eyes, “Then come with me.”

Joy lowered herself into the black abyss until only her collarbones and up were visible. She held her hand out to Sungjae, waiting patiently for him to grab for it. Sungjae reached forward, blanket falling to the floor of his boat.

Her wet hand against his was icy cold, causing a shiver to run up his spine. Sungjae took a deep breath and followed Joy into the water, following as she disappeared into the deep waters with hardly a ripple in the water.

The last thing he remembered before succumbing to an even darker abyss than the ocean was soft lips against his cheek and a beautiful song playing in his ears.

 

Sungjae’s boat appeared on shore three days later, found by the kind lady who sold him coffee his last day alive. The people of the small town knew what happened. That he hadn’t made it to shore on time and the sea people stole him. Stole his entire family. From his older sister being taken when he was only a child, to his mother when he was a teenager to his father, and lastly, him.

No one ever approached his old home. The people said it was cursed and as time passed, the land soon took over the little house, red flowers, the color of ripe apples, growing along the walls and creeping into the house, transforming the once beautiful home to a mess of growth and flowers.


End file.
